Developing The Observing Mind: How to Monitor Your Thoughts in Meditation
“I can’t stop thinking while meditating,” sound familiar? “You don’t stop!” — we reply. Instead of strenuously trying to silence your mind, you can make your thoughts the object of your meditation.
The practice of mind observation has been used for thousands of years in yoga and Buddhism, and in recent decades it has become part of the interest of modern science as well. The gist is that you simply observe the process of the emergence and departure of the thoughts that arise without getting involved in the thinking process. For many, this sounds a lot easier than the advice to “not think,” but it also has its nuances.
What does the practice of observing thoughts provide?
“Am I what I think I am?” Not really. In fact, we do not notice everything we think. And those thoughts that we do notice, we take as our own and undeniably important. And on that foundation, we build our lives.
Also, very often, we think that thoughts are facts, and we forget the good old saying that we should not always believe what comes into our heads.
To change our consciousness, we must learn to observe our thoughts. You have to stop associating yourself with your thoughts and emotions. Practice being a bystander, as if you were just observing yourself from the sidelines. Learn to observe your thoughts dispassionately, without struggle and too much involvement.
How does it work?
Developing a centered position of perception
Most problems in behavior and communication are since we are “captured” by some thoughts, feelings, or desires. In other words, you activate some negative subconscious programs. As a result, you may say something to your partner that you will regret later or spend half a day idly scrolling the Facebook feed instead of working on a project.
When we are in a centered, aware position, it is easier to notice the activation of such harmful programs and not succumb to them.
Reducing the impact of negative thoughts
If anxiety is your constant partner, then you know that it is intrusive anxious thoughts that maintain this unpleasant state. Being able to disengage from the flow of thoughts helps to significantly reduce their impact on our emotions.
Noticing what affects you (and how)
Movies, social media, communication — none of it goes away. The brain, our internal computer, is in constant operation. All the entering information somehow influences the thoughts which will come into your head. And this, in turn, will affect your whole state of mind.
How to practice meditation on observing thoughts?
If you haven’t done this kind of practice before, the idea of observing your thoughts may seem paradoxical to you. “How can I observe what I generate myself?” you ask.
First, you must be clear that you are not a “thinker.” The inner voice constantly going on in your head — commenting, comparing, guessing, complaining, praising, scolding — belongs to the conditioned mind, which is generated by everything that has ever happened to you and is also conditioned by the collective consciousness on that you depend as a member of a particular culture.
We say, “A thought came to my mind.” We don’t say that we made or created the thought. It came to us. Most of our thoughts are sort of the back-work of our brains.
We can, of course, consciously engage in the thinking process. But this is exactly what we try to avoid in this meditation. We observe the process of spontaneous thinking, those thoughts that “come into our heads” on their own.
Meditation technique:
Define your purpose
Remembering what you’re doing it for is a good idea. Maybe you’re anxious during the day and want to find the true roots of your worries. Or an ex-partner won’t leave your mind, and you’d like to loosen the grip of memories. Getting your intention right will help keep you motivated.
Strike the right pose Traditionally, the main recommendation is a straight back. You don’t have to sit in the lotus position or cross-legged. You can also sit in a chair or on a couch. Use one or two small cushions to make it comfortable to sit straight. You can keep your eyes either closed or open. However, you should not look at anything in particular or wander your gaze. To unfocus, look down at an angle of about 45 degrees.
Relax and observe your breathing Begin observing your breathing for a couple of minutes. This will help you move into a more conscious, centered state.
Proceed to the thought-observation practice The goal is to be aware of the occurrence of thought but not to become involved in thinking about it.
Thoughts will come and go, you just watch this process.
If you get involved, you become aware of it, and again you step aside (or take a mental step back) and become an observer.
Alternative Meditation: “The White Room” Practice
During this exercise, you will observe the workings of your mind, imagining it to be a white room through which thoughts pass. Close your eyes and take several deep breaths. Breathe slowly and evenly throughout the exercise.
Imagine you are in a medium-sized white room with two doors. Thoughts enter through one door and leave through another. As soon as a thought appears, concentrate on it and categorize it as evaluative or non-evaluative.
Scrutinize each thought with curiosity until it is gone. Do not try to analyze it, only note whether it is evaluative. Don’t challenge it, don’t try to believe or disbelieve it. Just be aware that it is a thought, a brief moment of your brain activity, an occasional guest in your white room.
Beware of thoughts that you have categorized as evaluative. They will try to take hold of you, to provoke you to react. The point of this exercise is to note how “clingy” evaluative thoughts are-how they get stuck in your mind, and how difficult it is to get rid of them. You will determine that thought is painful and evaluative by how long it stays in the white room or by whether you begin to feel any emotion in connection with it.
Try to keep your breathing steady, keep a clear view of the room and the doors, and monitor your thoughts. Remember that a thought is just a thought. You are much more than that. You are the one who creates the white room through which thoughts are allowed to pass. You have a million of them, they go away, and you remain. Thought does not require you to do anything. Thought does not obligate you to believe in it. The thought is not you.
Just watch them go through the white room. Let them live their short lives and tell yourself that they have a right to exist, even evaluative ones.
Just acknowledge your thoughts, let them go when the time comes, and prepare to meet new ones, one by one.
Keep doing this exercise until you feel that you have genuinely distanced yourself from your thoughts. Do it until even evaluative thoughts pass through the room without lingering.
Coming out of meditation
When you hear the timer, don’t jump up and check the notifications on your phone. The first minutes after practice are significant for fixating on the state. Stretch out, looking around calmly. Keep noting your sensations in your mind.
If you find it difficult to meditate regularly, it is important to praise and congratulate yourself on a successful practice. Praise and a sense of satisfaction will be positive reinforcement to help you form the habit of meditating.
If you are frequently distracted during the day, end your meditation session by wishing yourself to remain aware and focused.
It’s likely that among the thoughts that came to you during your practice, there were some that you want to remember. Don’t dismiss them; write them down so they can serve you afterward. It’s easy to do this in the Inite app: the screen for recording ideas opens immediately after you finish meditating.
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